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1994-01-20 Work Session NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION, JANUARY 20, 1994 BOOK 23 PAGE 918 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a Work Session on Thursday, January 20, 1994, at 10:30 A.M. in the 5th Floor Conference Room of the County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioners Sandra Barone; WilliamA. Caster; William E. Sisson, Jr.; vice-Chairman E. L. Mathews, Jr.; Chairman Robert G. Greer; County Manager, Allen 0' Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Chairman Greer called the Work Session to order for the purpose of discussing residential and commercial collections in the unincorporated area of New Hanover County. DISCUSSION OF RESIDENTIAL COLLECTIONS IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA OF NEW HANOVER COUNTY Chairman Greer reported after the last Work Session members of staff and the haulers have met and developed the following concept for residential collection in the County's unincorporated area. It is hoped that this plan can be implemented with additional services at no extra charge to the customer: (1) The County will contract with haulers currently providing service to the unincorporated area and assign zones to each hauler to eliminate inefficiencies associated with overlapping routes. (2) The haulers will collect refuse and they or their subcontractors will collect recyclables, yard waste, and bulky items. (3) The County will negotiate the cost of the system with the haulers. The County or its subcontractor will be responsible for billing customers for collection and disposal costs. (4) Residential subscription will be voluntary. Commissioner Sisson reported the Director of Emergency Management, Dan Summers, has expressed concern about the disposal of household hazardous waste and feels a plan should be developed for this type of disposal. Director Environmental Management, Ray Church, reported the disposal of household hazardous waste is not handled by the haulers. Most local governments have established a plan where certain dates are established to collect household hazardous waste once or twice a year. The local government can operate the program or contract with a private firm who is knowledgeable in the handling and disposal of hazardous materials. While attending the FEMA Workshop in Emitsburg, Maryland, emphasis was placed on the amount of household hazardous waste generated during a hurricane with disposal of batteries and materials stored in garages, and the local officials were informed that if a plan is in place, FEMA will reimburse local governments for recovery costs relative to disposal of hazardous materials. In his opinion, New Hanover County should develop a plan. Discussion was held on how to control littering or illegal dumping of trash with a voluntary system. Commissioner Sisson recommended increasing the penalty for littering or illegal dumping and hiring enough personnel to enforce the Litter Ordinance. After discussion of the need to have sworn officers enforcing the Litter Ordinance, staff was requested to work with the Sheriff in assessing the current number of sworn officers that could assist with enforcement of the Litter Ordinance and prepare a recommendation to be presented to the Board. Also, the County NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION, JANUARY 20, 1994 BOOK 23 PAGE 919 Attorney was requested to prepare a recommendation the penalty for illegal dumping or littering. for increasing Discussion was held on the monthly charge to residential customers. Commissioner Caster emphasized the importance of the monthly charge being the same for each customer and inquired as to how this will be accomplished? Assistant County uniform fee can be haulers. Manager, Dave Weaver, responded that a established through negotiation with the Discussion was held on re-evaluating and redrawing zones as the population changes in the County. County Manager 0' Neal recommended negotiating contracts that will establish a time frame for re-evaluating zones at the end of the second year with the idea of establishing a new zone at the end of the third year. DISCUSSION OF COMMERCIAL COLLECTIONS Chairman Greer reported commercial collections represent 70% of the solid waste stream and the following system has been recommended: 1) The County will contract with the haulers to perform commercial collections. Contracts will be non-exclusive and free competition between haulers will act to hold collection costs down. 2) The haulers will bill for the collection costs. The County will bill for disposal costs. 3) The County's contract will require the haulers to mail the County's disposal bill, thus avoiding unnecessary duplication and reducing the County's administrative costs. Commissioner Barone expressed concern for commercial customers being required to write and mail two checks and recommended the possibility of allowing the haulers to collect for disposal costs with the County billing the haulers for reimbursement. Mr. Chris McKeithan, President of Waste Management, Inc., reported ln order to eliminate confusion for the commercial accounts, two separate invoices with two separate envelopes could be mailed. Discussion was held on the possibility of one check being wri tten to the County or the hauler. County Manager 0' Neal reported computer software will be developed that will allow the County and hauler to know if this occurs through daily monitoring. Commissioner Caster inquired as to how the County's portion of the bill will be determined? Mr. McKeithan reported the commercial customer is billed for the frequency of pick-up and for the size of the container at an established weight. If the container is only half full, the weight does not vary and the fee is the same. Discussion was held on adoption of an ordinance prohibiting construction debris from being co-mingled with other trash. It was generally agreed that an ordinance of this type should be adopted to avoid problems for the haulers when picking up mixed loads; reduce maintenance costs at WASTEC; and greatly assist the County in meeting the 25% reduction of the waste stream with utilization of the Construction and Debris Center. Commissioner unburnable wastes, Sisson commented on the disposal of other such as plastics, cardboard, and glass by NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION, JANUARY 20, 1994 BOOK 23 PAGE 920 restaurants who do not want to combine these items and inquired as to how these items can be handled? Mr. McKeithan reported restaurants or other businesses could request a recycling bin at an additional fee. Discussion was held on individuals and businesses that perform their own waste disposal. Commissioner Sisson recommended requiring these companies to contract with the County if they want to expand their disposal service and compete with the local haulers. If a contract is not negotiated with the County, a stiff penalty should be assessed. Discussion was held on the burning of trees, stumps, and debris when clearing a site before construction. Commissioner Sisson recommended addressing this type of burning at a future date. Commissioner Sisson expressed concern for increasing the customer's cost in the City and inquired as to how the tip fee will be set for municipalities? Assistant County Manager Weaver reported the tip fee will be set at $79 per ton for the municipalities, which is the same tip fee that will be set for County residents under this system. After further discussion, staff was directed to proceed with the recommendations presented for residential and commercial collections with the final figures being prepared and submitted to the Board. BUDGET WORK SESSION AND JOINT WORK SESSION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 3, 1994 Consensus: It was the consensus of the Board to schedule a Work Session with the Board of Social Services on February 3, 1994, at 9:00 A.M. in the Senior Center followed by a Staff Meeting and Budget Work Session at 10:00 A.M. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Sisson reported on hearing compliments about how courteous and helpful the County employees are when using the recycling drop-off centers. He expressed appreciation to Recycling Manager, Tim Cole, and staff for providing this type of service to the citizens of the County. Chairman Greer, on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to staff and the haulers for the hard work and effort given to prepare options for establishing residential and commercial collection systems. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the Board